Reinforced concrete construction.



P. S. EASTERDAY. REINFONCEO CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATIGN FILED MAY 24, 1916.

e @wmf/MAW? PHILIP S. EASTERDAY, VOIE PORTLAND, OREGON.

REINFORCED COIQ'CRETE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 24, 1916. Serial No. 99,643.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP S. EASTER- DAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements 1n Reintions together to form a continuous conduit.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved coupling between the sections of concrete conduits which will form an elastic union, permitting the free expansion and contractionv of the sections without the likelihood of causing rupture or..

breakage in the piping such as is commonly found to be the result where rigid couplings are employed; and by reason of'such elastic couplings the sections of the conduit aremade relatively yieldable to conform to a vertically curved grade line without fracture.

A further object of the present invention resides in providing concrete constructio of the above character, wherein the coupling elements will be constituted of rods bent to provide velastic interengaging coils and loops for receiving an elastic pin or wedge, through which the connection is effected, the rods being shaped from said coils and loops into divergent arms which are embedded in the concrete of the conduit sections, and have hooked ends to engage metal reinforcing elements in the sections.

The present invention constitutes an improvement over the construction shown and described in my prior Patent No. 1,061,665, granted May 13, 1913, and entiled Coupling for reinforced concrete conduit sections.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbols indicate correspondng parts in the several views:

Figure 1 shows two abutting conduitsecan improved reinforced l coupling elements have tions of reinforced concrete, ,with my invention applied thereto; the upper section being shown in horizontal section and the concrete body of the lower section being partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section on an y axial plane of the connected conduit sections, showing the improved elastic .coupling.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the same plane with Fig. 2, and illustrating a single section with one of the coupling elements embedded therein. l

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the interengaged coupling elements.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the coupling elements shown disengaged; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the coupling pin or wedge. 'Referring more particularlyto the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is illustrated atl and 2 abutting sections of concrete piping or culvert; the sections being reinforced pref-v erably by the construction illustrated which embodies. circumferentially and, uniformly axially spaced rods 3, about which are wound,'tied, or secured in any other manner, diagonally extending wires 4. It will be understood that any other suitable vreinforcing arrangement may be embedded inthe sections of found desirable or necessary', the construction shown being that preferably employed in practice with good results, and which affords a secure hold for the hooked ends of the coupling elements.

These coupling elements are constructed for complemental engagement, one series of such elements'projecting beyond one end of theconduit section, while the companion their engaging ends disposed in slots or recesses in the opposite end of the concrete section for receiving the projecting ends of the complemental elements on the next adjacent section.- Such coupling elements are preferably formed: from single lengths of rods or wires, one series of such elements` being shaped after the manner shown in Fig. 5, where the rod is centrally returned a loop 5, which projects, as shown in Fig. 1, beyond the pipe section; .and from such loop 5 the rod is bent to provide divergent arms 6 and 7 extending through and embedded in the concrete material, the terminal ends of the arms 6 and 7 being bent to Patented May 22, 1917.

the conduit as upon itself to provide provide hooks 8 and 9 for engaging the rods 3 of the concrete reinforcing work.

The complemental coupling element, as shown in Fig. 6, is also formed of a single length of rod bent centrally to provide a pair of coaxial spaced coils 10 andll for receiving the projecting loops 5 of the elements shown in Fig. 5, such coils 10 and 11, as more particularly disclosed in- Figs. 2 and 3, being disposed within slots or recesses 12 in the end of the culvert sections. Openings 13 communicate With `the recesses 12 for admitting the loops 5 When the concreteY sections are assembled inthe manner shown in Fig. 2. From the coils 10 and 11 the rod is bent into divergent arms 14 Which are embedded in the concrete, and at its terminal ends the rod is formed into hooks 16 and 17 similar to the hooks 8 and 9shoWn in Fig. 5, and for engaging the rods 3 in a similar manner, as shown in Fig. 1(

In Fig. 7 is shown a coupling pin or Wedge similar to that shown and described in myaforesaid prior patent, such pin being formed of a resilient rod Wound spirally to provide'a coaxial series of coils 18, of tapered or triangular form having fiat bases 19 and rounded apexes 20; said elastic pin being adapted to be driven or tightly forced between the interengaging loops 5 and coils 10-and 11 to therebysecurely hold the conduit sections together; and at the same time provide an elastic coupling therefor, yielding, when required, to permit expansion and contraction of the sections and to 4permit the same to conform to a changing grade line.

It Will be understood that the recesses 12 are to be left free of any filling or other material to permit the elastic action both in the coupling pin and in the coils 10 and 11 of the elements to expand and contract Without interference, although such recesses 12 may be rendered inaccesslble to dirt and other foreign matter by placing caps thereover.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and and 15,V

arrangements of parts Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not Wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

Il claim:

1. The combination With a plurality of concrete sections provided With a Wire mesh reinforcement, of aseries of rods bent in substantially U-shaped form and having hooked ends engaging said Wire reinforcement, said rods being embedded in said concrete section, the loop of one of said rods projecting beyond the face of the concrete section, and the loop of the other of said rods being screened in the opposite end of the concrete section, each of saidloops being adapted to register with the loop of the adjacent section, and a resilient coua single rod bent in pling pin formed of the form of a series of continuous s closed at the top and adapted to project into the loops of the coupling rods and couple the same together in resilient relation, substantially as described.

2. The combination With a plurality of concrete sections provided With a Wire mesh reinforcement, of a series of rods bent in substantially U-shaped form and having hooked ends engaging said Wire reinforc ment, said rods being embedded in said concrete sections, the loop of one of said rods projecting beyond the face of the concrete section, and the loop of the other of said rods being screened in the opposite end of the concrete section and being in the form of a closed elliptical spiral, each of said loops being adapted to register with the loop of the adjacent section, and a resilient coupling pin formed of a single rod bent in the form of a series of continuous Us closed at the top to project into the loops of thc coupling rods and couple same together in resilient relation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

PHILIP S. EASTERDAY. 

